Overview

The punctured throat, the coffin lid slowly opening, the unholy shriek as the stake pierces the heart—these are just a few of the chilling images Bram Stoker unleashed upon the world with his 1897 masterpiece, Dracula. Inspired by the folk legend of nosferatu, the undead, Stoker created a timeless tale of gothic horror and romance that has enthralled and terrified readers ever since.

A true masterwork of storytelling, Dracula has transcended generation, language, and culture to ...

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This Book

Overview

The punctured throat, the coffin lid slowly opening, the unholy shriek as the stake pierces the heart—these are just a few of the chilling images Bram Stoker unleashed upon the world with his 1897 masterpiece, Dracula. Inspired by the folk legend of nosferatu, the undead, Stoker created a timeless tale of gothic horror and romance that has enthralled and terrified readers ever since.

A true masterwork of storytelling, Dracula has transcended generation, language, and culture to become one of the most popular novels ever written. It is a quintessential tale of suspense and horror, boasting one of the most terrifying characters ever born in literature: Count Dracula, a tragic, night-dwelling specter who feeds upon the blood of the living, and whose diabolical passions prey upon the innocent, the helpless, and the beautiful. But Dracula also stands as a bleak allegorical saga of an eternally cursed being whose nocturnal atrocities reflect the dark underside of the supremely moralistic age in which it was originally written — and the corrupt desires that continue to plague the modern human condition.

The Dracula mythology has inspired a vast subculture, but the story has never been better told than by Stoker.

What People Are Saying

Arthur Conan Doyle

I think it is the very best story of diablerie which I have read for many years. It is really wonderful how with so much exciting interest over so long a book there is never an anticlimax.

From the Publisher

"John Lee gives a superb performance of the malevolent Count Dracula, the original vampire. His relaxed low tone, while unexpected for a horror reading, works perfectly. Precise timing and eerie vocal inflections ratchet up the fear factor in each scene." —-AudioFile

Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble

If it were not for his horror masterpiece Dracula, Abraham "Bram" Stoker (1847-1912) might be remembered today, if at all, only as a talented theatre manager and personal assistant. His novels, though numerous and published, are not polished literary productions; indeed, paradoxically, it is Dracula's cobbled together realism that makes this 1897 fiction so authentic and arresting. In this edition, that sense of vividness is redoubled by its accompanying illustrations by famed comic book and graphic novel artist Becky Cloonan (Conan The Barbarian; The Wolves). The rebirth of a vampire who continues to pursue us.

— Tim Flannigan

1897 London Times reviewMonday August 23rd

DRACULA cannot be described as a domestic novel, nor its annals as those of a quiet life. The circumstances described are from the first peculiar. A young solicitor sent for on business by a client in Transylvania goes through some unusual experiences. He finds himself shut up in a half ruined castle with a host who is only seen at night and three beautiful females who have the misfortune of being vampires. Their intentions, which can hardly be described as honourable, are to suck his blood, in order to sustain their own vitality. Count Dracula (the host) is also a vampire but has grown tired of his compatriots, however young and beautiful, and has a great desire for what may literally be called fresh blood. He has therefore sent for the solicitor that through his means he may be introduced to London society. Without understanding the Count's views, Mr. Harker has good reason for having suspicions of his client. Wolves come at his command, and also fogs; he is also too clever by half at climbing. There is a splendid prospect from the castle terrace, which Mr. Harker would have enjoyed but for his conviction that he would never leave the place alive-
. . .
These scenes and situations, striking as they are, become commonplace compared with Count Dracula's goings on in London. As Falstaff was not only witty himself but the cause of wit in other people, so a vampire, it seems, compels those it has bitten (two little marks on the throat are its token, usually taken by faculty for the scratches of a broach) to become after death vampires also. Nothing can keep them away but garlic, which is, perhaps, why that comestible is so popular in certain countries. One may imagine, therefore,how the thing spread in London after the Count's arrival. The only chance of stopping it was to kill the Count before any of his victims died, and this was a difficult job, for though several centuries old, he was very young and strong, and could become a dog or a bat at pleasure. However, it is undertaken by four resolute and high-principled persons, and how it is managed forms the subject of the story, of which nobody can complain that it is deficient in dramatic situations. We would not however, recommend it to nervous persons for evening reading.

Children's Literature
- Anita Barnes Lowen

Almost everyone is familiar with the story of Dracula. Jonathan Harker, a young English solicitor, travels to Transylvania to finalize a real estate sale. He soon realizes that Count Dracula, his host and client, is not what he seems. "...what manner of creature is this in the semblance of a man?" Finding himself effectively imprisoned and discovering that he is promised to three female vampires ("...when I am done with him, you shall kiss him at your will") Harker escapes down the castle wall and knows no more. In England, a mysterious ship wrecks near the home of Lucy Westerna, a friend of Harker's fiancee. No crew, no captain...only a large dog that bounds overboard and disappears. Soon afterwards Lucy becomes pale and ill and unexplainable red marks appear on her throat. Her doctor is baffled and calls on his mentor, Van Helsing, who quickly surmises that Lucy has become one of the Undead and must be destroyed. "I shall cut off her head, fill her mouth with garlic, and I shall drive a stake through her heart." But the horror will not end until Dracula himself is found and destroyed. The story is told through journal entries and letters written by the novel's characters. At the end of the book, readers will find information on the author, major and minor characters, vampire myths, and vampire bats as well as suggestions of things to think about and do, and a glossary. With the current popularity of vampires in teen and young adult fiction, this chunky classic should be in every middle and high school library. Reviewer: Anita Barnes Lowen

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9–For readers wanting a small shiver down their spines, these books will suffice. Stoker’s Dracula is succinct and well edited. The art is stale and tame and might titillate, but it won’t produce any nightmares. The adaptation in Dorian Gray can be clunky at times but it covers the main points of the story. The beautiful and youthful Dorian Gray is never very attractive in the illustrations, but the decaying painting will appropriately disgust young readers. The story in The Invisible Man is heavily edited, and the action is crammed into a few pages, but the scenes in which the Invisible Man is on the loose are intense. The illustrations are fairly detailed and include some graphic scenes of blood and a nearly naked Invisible Man. All three books include information about the authors and a glossary. There are better adaptations of these novels available, but these titles provide slim and chilling reads that give a taste of the actual stories for reluctant readers.–Carrie Rogers-Whitehead, Kearns Library, UT

Publishers Weekly

This illustrated adaptation of Bram Stoker's work trades the epistolary nature of the original for a condensed, third-person narration, supplemented by selections from Jonathan Harker's journal entries and from John Seward's memoirs. Hitting the major plot points, like Jonathan's arrival at Dracula's castle and Lucy's frightening transformation, Raven retains much of the subtle terror of Jonathan's imprisonment, while providing Mina with more volition (" ‘Tonight we end this,' added Mina firmly"). Readers will likely be chilled by Gilbert's evocative ink and colored pencil images and drawn to the enigmatic Count, with his long, blond hair and violet eyes. A lavish and accessible retelling. Ages 12-up. (July)

David Glover University of Southampton

"No other edition so carefully assembles a wealth of contextual material, nor succeeds so admirably in drawing the reader into Stoker's cultural milieu."

Carol A. Senf Georgia Institute of Technology

"Glennis Byron has done a superb job of collecting just the right supplementary materials to accompany the novel, including reviews by Stoker's contemporaries, biographical material, information on the social and cultural topics that concerned Stoker and his readers, even a tourist guide to London in the late nineteenth-century."

Margaret L. Carter Bradley University

"Valuable for both research and classroom use. All Dracula scholars will want to own this useful, very reasonably-priced text."

Elizabeth Miller Memorial University

"Glennis Byron’s succinct yet comprehensive introduction provides a useful overview of critical responses to Stoker’s text. Even more valuable is the inclusion of supplementary material (some of which has not, until now been readily available) that clearly places Dracula in its historical context."

From the Publisher

"Those who cannot find their own reflection in Bram Stoker's still-living creation are surely the undead."

VOYA
- Matthew Weaver

The prospect of a remake of Bram Stoker's classic is, at first, frightening. This book, however, quickly quells any uneasiness with the first of many gorgeous illustrations. Gilbert's artwork is so lushly vivid and lovingly crafted—particularly the recurring bat imagery and a scene where a wolf drinks a young woman's blood—that it threatens to overpower the words altogether. As we advance through a story both familiar and fresh, heroine Mina waits for word from her fiance, Jonathan, who has gone to Transylvania to help a mysterious Count Dracula arrange housing in London. It's not long before the count has arrived and dear friend Lucy Holmwood falls gravely ill. Mina and Jonathan, with the aid of Professor Abraham Van Helsing, must work to rid themselves of the most famous vampire of all. Raven has rearranged Stoker's novel and made slight alterations to the story, including the addition of a gypsy boy who bears a long-standing vendetta against the infamous count, and a twist to the ending that would doubtless have sat well with the original author. In the midst of Twilight fervor, it must have been tempting to revisit Dracula as a tortured romantic figure, but aside from his new blond locks, there's plenty here to please longtime enthusiasts and welcome a whole new audience to a tale that, just as its central figure, refuses to die. Reviewer: Matthew Weaver

Children's Literature
- Paula Rohrlick

This retelling of Bram Stoker's classic about the evil vampire count shortens the tale considerably and adds dramatic, handsome pen and colored ink illustrations, in a large format. In a note from the author, Raven explains the ways in which she has changed the story. Rather than relating it all in diary entries and letters, it is now mostly a narrative, featuring a young Jonathan Harker, though some diary pages do appear. Also, Raven marries Jonathan to Mina later than Stoker does, and she has Holmwood and Lucy marry as well. She offers a less gloomy version of vampire hunter Van Helsing; he is now a man with some wit and flair. Raven also presents the gypsies as enemies of the count, rather than allies. So this is a different take on the novel, rather than just an abridgment, but this version's striking illustrations should help attract a new audience to this old favorite. Their ominous shadows and beautifully rendered details help convey the sense of menace that hangs over the story. Reviewer: Paula Rohrlick

London Times

DRACULA cannot be described as a domestic novel, nor its annals as those of a quiet life. The circumstances described are from the first peculiar. A young solicitor sent for on business by a client in Transylvania goes through some unusual experiences. He finds himself shut up in a half ruined castle with a host who is only seen at night and three beautiful females who have the misfortune of being vampires. Their intentions, which can hardly be described as honourable, are to suck his

From Barnes & Noble

Mysterious, gloomy castles and open graves at midnight are just two of the Gothic devices used to chilling effect in this 19th-century horror classic that turned an obscure figure from Eastern European folklore into a towering icon of film and literature.

Related Subjects

Meet the Author

Bram Stoker was born November 8, 1847, in Dublin, Ireland. Stoker was a sickly child who was frequently bedridden; his mother entertained him by telling frightening stories and fables during his bouts of illness. Stoker studied math at Trinity College Dublin, graduating in 1867. He worked as a civil servant, freelance journalist, drama critic, editor and, most notably, as manager of the Lyceum Theatre. Although best known for Dracula, Stoker wrote eighteen other books, including Under the Sunset, The Snake’s Pass, The Jewel of Seven Stars, The Lady of the Shroud, and The Lair of the White Worm. He died in 1912 at the age of sixty-four.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter I
Jonathan Harker’s Journal
(Kept in shorthand.)

3 May. Bistritz.1–Left Munich at 8:35 p. m., on 1st May, arriving at Vienna early next morning; should have arrived at 6:46, but train was an hour late. Buda-Pesth seems a wonderful place, from the glimpse which I got of it from the train and the little I could walk through the streets. I feared to go very far from the station, as we arrived late and would start as near the correct time as possible. The impression I had was that we were leaving the West and entering the East; the most western of splendid bridges over the Danube,2 which is here of noble width and depth, took us among the traditions of Turkish rule.
We left in pretty good time, and came after nightfall to Klausenburgh.3 Here I stopped for the night at the Hotel Royale. I had for dinner, or rather supper, a chicken done up some way with red pepper, which was very good but thirsty. (Mem., get recipe for Mina.) I asked the waiter, and he said it was called “paprika hendl,” and that, as it was a national dish, I should be able to get it anywhere along the Carpathians.4 I found my smattering of German very useful here; indeed, I don’t know how I should be able to get on without it.

Having had some time at my disposal when in London, I had visited the British Museum,5 and made search among the books and maps in the library regarding Transylvania: it had struck me that some foreknowledge of the country could hardly fail to have some importance in dealing with a nobleman of that country. I find that the district he named is in the extreme east of the country, just on the borders of three states, Transylvania, Moldavia andBukovina,6 in the midst of the Carpathian mountains; one of the wildest and least known portions of Europe. I was not able to light on any map or work giving the exact locality of the Castle Dracula, as there are no maps of this country as yet to compare with our own Ordnance Survey maps;7 but I found that Bistritz, the post town named by Count Dracula, is a fairly well-known place. I shall enter here some of my notes, as they may refresh my memory when I talk over my travels with Mina.

In the population of Transylvania there are four distinct nationalities: Saxons in the South, and mixed with them the Wallachs, who are the descendants of the Dacians; Magyars in the West, and Szekelys8 in the East and North. I am going among the latter, who claim to be descended from Attila and the Huns. This may be so, for when the Magyars conquered the country in the eleventh century they found the Huns settled in it. I read that every known superstition in the world is gathered into the horseshoe of the Carpathians, as if it were the centre of some sort of imaginative whirlpool; if so my stay may be very interesting. (Mem., I must ask the Count all about them.)

I did not sleep well, though my bed was comfortable enough, for I had all sorts of queer dreams. There was a dog howling all night under my window, which may have had something to do with it; or it may have been the paprika, for I had to drink up all the water in my carafe, and was still thirsty. Towards morning I slept and was wakened by the continuous knocking at my door, so I guess I must have been sleeping soundly then. I had for breakfast more paprika, and a sort of porridge of maize flour which they said was “mamaliga,” and egg-plant stuffed with forcemeat, a very excellent dish, which they call “impletata.” (Mem., get recipe for this also.) I had to hurry breakfast, for the train started a little before eight, or rather it ought to have done so, for after rushing to the station at 7:30 I had to sit in the carriage for more than an hour before we began to move. It seems to me that the further east you go the more unpunctual are the trains. What ought they to be in China?

All day long we seemed to dawdle through a country which was full of beauty of every kind. Sometimes we saw little towns or castles on the top of steep hills such as we see in old missals; sometimes we ran by rivers and streams which seemed from the wide stony margin on each side of them to be subject to great floods. It takes a lot of water, and running strong, to sweep the outside edge of a river clear. At every station there were groups of people, sometimes crowds, and in all sorts of attire. Some of them were just like the peasants at home or those I saw coming through France and Germany, with short jackets and round hats and home-made trousers; but others were very picturesque. The women looked pretty, except when you got near them, but they were very clumsy about the waist. They had all full white sleeves of some kind or other, and the most of them had big belts with a lot of strips of something fluttering from them like the dresses in a ballet, but of course there were petticoats under them. The strangest figures we saw were the Slovaks, who were more barbarian than the rest, with their big cow-boy hats, great baggy dirty-white trousers, white linen shirts, and enormous heavy leather belts, nearly a foot wide, all studded over with brass nails. They wore high boots, with their trousers tucked into them, and had long black hair and heavy black moustaches. They are very picturesque, but do not look prepossessing. On the stage they would be set down at once as some old Oriental band of brigands. They are, however, I am told, very harmless and rather wanting in natural self-assertion.

It was on the dark side of twilight when we got to Bistritz, which is a very interesting old place. Being practically on the frontier–for the Borgo Pass leads from it into Bukovina–it has had a very stormy existence, and it certainly shows marks of it. Fifty years ago a series of great fires took place, which made terrible havoc on five separate occasions. At the very beginning of the seventeenth century it underwent a siege of three weeks and lost 13,000 people, the casualties of war proper being assisted by famine and disease.
Count Dracula had directed me to go to the Golden Krone Hotel, which I found, to my great delight, to be thoroughly old-fashioned, for of course I wanted to see all I could of the ways of the country. I was evidently expected, for when I got near the door I faced a cheery-looking elderly woman in the usual peasant dress–white undergarment with long double apron, front, and back, of coloured stuff fitting almost too tight for modesty. When I came close she bowed and said, “The Herr Englishman?” “Yes,” I said, “Jonathan Harker.” She smiled, and gave some message to an elderly man in white shirtsleeves, who had followed her to the door. He went, but immediately returned with a letter:–
“My Friend.–Welcome to the Carpathians. I am anxiously expecting you. Sleep well to-night. At three tomorrow the diligence9 will start for Bukovina; a place on it is kept for you. At the Borgo Pass my carriage will await you and will bring you to me. I trust that your journey from London has been a happy one, and that you will enjoy your stay in my beautiful land.

Foreword

1. Dracula relies on journal fragments, letters, and newspaper clippings to tell its story. Why might Stoker have chosen to narrate the story in this way? Do letters and journal entries make the story seem more authentic or believable to you? Likewise, discuss the significance that many of the male protagonists are doctors (Dr. Seward) or men of science (Dr. Van Helsing). Why is this important to the story?

2. How does the novel invert Christian mythology in its description of Count Dracula's reign of terror? For instance, what specific elements of Stoker's story parallel scenes or images from the New Testament? Why might this subversion of Christian myth be significant?

3. Discuss the roles of Lucy Westenra and Mina Harker in the novel. How are the two women similar? Different? What accounts for their differences? To what extent does the novel depend on both of these women to propel the narrative forward?

4. Discuss the role of sexuality in Dracula. Would you say that Dracula attempts to reproduce himself sexually or by some other means? In what ways does the figure of Dracula subvert conventional notions of heterosexuality? Consider, for instance, his predilection for drinking blood and his habit of making his victims feed from his chest.

5. What are the elements of vampire folklore? For example, what, according to the novel, attracts or repels a vampire? How do you kill a vampire for good? Although Stoker did not invent the mythology of the vampire, his novel firmly established the conventions of vampire fiction. Choose another novel that deals with vampires and compare it with Dracula. (Consider, for example, one of Anne Rice'svampire books.) In what ways are the novels similar? Different?

6. Consider Freud's essay "The Uncanny" in relation to Stoker's Dracula. How would Freud describe the world that Stoker evokes in the novel? Is this a world of common reality? Or is it a world governed by supernatural belief? Or both? Discuss Freud's claim that the writer of gothic fiction is "betraying to us the superstitiousness which we have ostensibly surmounted; he deceives us by promising to give us the sober truth, and then after all overstepping it." In what ways does Stoker's narrative strategy of employing newspaper clippings and journal entries promise the "sober truth"? To what extent do you think Dracula achieves a sense of the uncanny?

Reading Group Guide

1. Dracula relies on journal fragments, letters, and newspaper clippings to tell its story. Why might Stoker have chosen to narrate the story in this way? Do letters and journal entries make the story seem more authentic or believable to you? Likewise, discuss the significance that many of the male protagonists are doctors (Dr. Seward) or men of science (Dr. Van Helsing). Why is this important to the story?

2. How does the novel invert Christian mythology in its description of Count Dracula's reign of terror? For instance, what specific elements of Stoker's story parallel scenes or images from the New Testament? Why might this subversion of Christian myth be significant?

3. Discuss the roles of Lucy Westenra and Mina Harker in the novel. How are the two women similar? Different? What accounts for their differences? To what extent does the novel depend on both of these women to propel the narrative forward?

4. Discuss the role of sexuality in Dracula. Would you say that Dracula attempts to reproduce himself sexually or by some other means? In what ways does the figure of Dracula subvert conventional notions of heterosexuality? Consider, for instance, his predilection for drinking blood and his habit of making his victims feed from his chest.

5. What are the elements of vampire folklore? For example, what, according to the novel, attracts or repels a vampire? How do you kill a vampire for good? Although Stoker did not invent the mythology of the vampire, his novel firmly established the conventions of vampire fiction. Choose another novel that deals with vampires and compare it with Dracula. (Consider, for example, one of Anne Rice's vampirebooks.) In what ways are the novels similar? Different?

6. Consider Freud's essay "The Uncanny" in relation to Stoker's Dracula. How would Freud describe the world that Stoker evokes in the novel? Is this a world of common reality? Or is it a world governed by supernatural belief? Or both? Discuss Freud's claim that the writer of gothic fiction is "betraying to us the superstitiousness which we have ostensibly surmounted; he deceives us by promising to give us the sober truth, and then after all overstepping it." In what ways does Stoker's narrative strategy of employing newspaper clippings and journal entries promise the "sober truth"? To what extent do you think Dracula achieves a sense of the uncanny?

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One of the best vampire books ever written.

I don't mean to sound mean or anything, because I love Twilight, but Dracula is probably one of the best (if not the best) vampire book ever written. Not only is it a classic, but it's just a great story, with well thought out characters and a great plot. It takes a little bit of getting used to, since the format of the story is a little strange, but a chapter or so in it's not too hard to read. The story is very compelling and will make you think, which also makes it good for book clubs and discussions. A good thriller!

63 out of 72 people found this review helpful.

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Just as scary as contemporary novels!

This book was written 112 years ago and it's just as scary as Stephen King's Salem's Lot. The fictional character of Dracula is not sexy nor repentant he is just full of bloodlust and everyone around him is his prey. This book should be read by anyone who likes gothic novels or vampires. This book should be the first vampire novel read before any others so you can see the progession of how the character has changed.

47 out of 51 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted August 23, 2010

Best vampire book EVER!

This is the original but it is definitely the best. Many people who are used to reading Stephanie Meyer and other modern vampire authors may be disappointed as they will be forced to think about what they are reading in Stoker's Dracula. I have always had this on my "to read" list. I am very sorry I waited this long to pick it up. I read it almost straight through and now my 9th grader is reading it. At over 100 years old, there are language and expressions used that you may need to think about but most can be taken contextually. It should not present much of a problem for those who are willing to look things up or ponder for a moment before pressing on. There are some very tense and scary moments in the story. It is set up as a series of journal entries from the diaries of each of the characters (except for Dracula himself). I actually found this setup to be most entertaining. Stoker developed the characters thoroughly via this avenue. It is an excellent book -- a timeless classic that everyone should read.

34 out of 36 people found this review helpful.

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Dracula (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)

This was the first Barnes & Noble Classics Series book I bought and I had some mixed feelings about it. The book itself was great, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys horror films. But I would also recommend not reading the introduction if you do not already know the outcome of Dracula. In the introduction, Brooke Allen tells you alittle too much about the story, like its outcome and all kinds of things in the middle. I had not read Dracula, or seen any film adaptations of the original story, so having an introduction, that is not part of the story, tell me what the outcome was really bugged me. The book is great, but I would recommend skipping the intro if you don't already know the story of Dracula.

33 out of 34 people found this review helpful.

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BookFan7

Posted September 7, 2010

A true classic!

This was one of the first books I downloaded to my new Nook (admittedly because it was free at the time, but I was intrigued). I love a good scary read and thought this would be a great book to break-in my Nook on. I wasn't disappointed. Leave any movie visions you have behind and let your imagination run wild. It was a facinating read with several climaxes that keep you on edge. Definitely not what I expected, but in a good way. Enjoy!

18 out of 21 people found this review helpful.

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This time the movie was better (kinda).

Bram Stoker's Dracula is unique in its approach to writing. It is original in its style and storytelling concept. As introduced at the beginning of the novel, it is portrayed to be a stake of journals, diaries, letters, and recordings, placed in a particular order that will tell the story of Count Dracula and the characters involvement with him. This is unique and enjoyable. When the source changes from letter to diary to journal etc, then the style and voice and perspective also change to the point that one forgets that Bram Stoker is the sole author. After seeing Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 movie and the initial love story, back story, and Dracula's motivation for coming to London the book is deficient. The ending of the movie of course provides for an ongoing story or sequel. The book just abruptly ends and you are left with a "is that all" feeling. Character development is shallow but there are moments of brilliance in scenic description and allusion. Vampire lore and abilities are defined and there are moments of pure evil. No sparkling in the sunlight. No pretty boys with gorgeous eyes. No modern day "you would if you loved me" BS. Just plain, straight up horror and creepiness. Though very very subtle the sexual undercurrent can be pronounced. Freud, who is reported to have analyzed Dracula, saw it and most modern readers will too. The sexual scenes and tension was palpable in the movie and could be even more. I guess this is one of the facets of vampirism that is appealing to modern teens and writers. The book is a good easy read and has several genius moments of description and visualization that every one should read once. This is still the FIRST true vampire novel that has influenced the world. One could say that Dracula is to vampirism as Elvis is to rock and roll. No one hardly remembers what happened before but the phenomenon that is still raging now owes everything to this world changing pioneer. The thing that stands out even now as I am writing this review is how Bram Stoker changed voice and style and meter when he changed characters. By the middle of the book you could tell who's letter or journal or diary you were reading by the way it was written and the way it sounded; very talented and insightful author.

16 out of 17 people found this review helpful.

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fsrasmd

Posted July 23, 2010

More engrossing than modern vampire tales

I remember picking up this book from the library in high school and not getting past page one. Ten years later, I could not put the book down. This is truly THE vampire tale. This is where all modern vampire tales come from. I am a Buffy and Twilight fan but they do not hold a candle (or a stake) to this classic. Once you get to page ten, you will not be able to stop. Highly recommended.

14 out of 15 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted September 8, 2010

Loving the Classics

I just started reading this one and so far I can't put it down.

13 out of 16 people found this review helpful.

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darthlaurie

Posted April 9, 2010

The original is still the best

When I was fourteen I saw a documentary on Bela Lugosi. Up to that point, I had never given much thought to vampires other than Grandpa Munster, Count Chocula, and the Count from Sesame Street. But there was something about Bela, his story and the way he immortalized Dracula forever that led me to reading Dracula.
Johnathan Harker isn't the most interesting character in literature. He's rather bland and I struggled through the first chapter or two until he enters Castle Dracula and meets his captor. Count Dracula is always written about in the third person. I really enjoy the epistolary form of conveying the story and I think Bram Stoker did a pretty good job of creating different voices. Sure his female characters lack complexity and Quincy Morris is the sterotypical Texas cowboy-- the strong but silent type. And of course, Van Helsing...Dracula's nemesis and the most complex good guy in the entire book. Stoker does a terrific job with setting the stage and moving the story along. He creates a monster that is genuinely terrifying because he is so inhuman and doesn't play by the rules of well-mannered Victorians. He is terrifying because you never know what form he'll take. Perhaps one of the more frightening aspects of Dracula isn't the actual vampire so much as his ability to control mere mortals and even drive them to the point of madness...there's a very fine line between sanity and madness sometimes and I think that point is driven home quite well in Dracula.
Dracula may not be scary in the fashion of Steven King, but I know I've had times where I've gone to bed and I haven't been able to fall right to sleep because there could be malevolent forces outside my window...well you never know. All I know is Dracula isn't sparkly or whiney or hating his eternal life. He embraces his life and maybe that's a lesson we should all learn.

9 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted February 16, 2012

Must read!

Dracula is such a gripping, suspenseful novel that I found it hard to put down. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys the modern thriller genera.

8 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

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All-American-Bookworm

Posted June 10, 2009

Now THIS is a vampire book!

I read this shortly after reading Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series, and let me tell you, if you're looking for a book about vampires, THIS is the one to get! No sparkly, "vegitarian" vampires here! I've got nothing againts the Twilight saga, but Stoker's Dracula is definatly the book to read for an awesome vampire story!

8 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted May 10, 2012

Great Book, and Nook Book is Excellent!

I read this classic tale of horror many years ago and it was the first book that frightened me so much I couldn't sleep. That's odd because I never thought it would be so terrifying. Of course, I've seen all the movie versions, but there're nothing compared to the original book by Bram Stoker.

The Nook version is also excellent. It's so easy to read and the layout is perfect. You can get from chapter to chapter by simply tapping on the table of contents.

Well worth the money for this classic tale of terror.

7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted January 8, 2012

Very good starting bop
Very good starting book

If you just purchased a nook this book is a perfict first book because A. Its free B. Its a classic C. Its the the perfict combonation of suspense, comedy, and horror. I highly recomend this book to any new nook customer.

7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

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The only vampire book that matters

I recently purchased this book after going years without reading it. This is a classic novel. By an underrated author bram stoker who died in povertyand enver saw the books impact or success. By using vlad the impaler and elizabeth bathery as inspiration he creates a misty world of supernatural romanticism. Dracula as a creature of the night in thrilling action sequences is just what you need sometimes. he writing style in this book is along dead form but it works well with dracula.

7 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted February 10, 2012

Great classic

It was fun to finally read this wonferfully written horror classic.

6 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted January 31, 2012

A must read classic.

If you are a fan of modern day horror or vampire stories, you owe it to yourself to read the father of them all. The language is old, but the story is timeless. I have already re-read it once and probably will again someday.

6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted January 27, 2012

Excellent.

Perhaps there is a tenth of the book that drags, and some thick-written accenrs for passing characters is rough to read, but on the whole this novel is impossible to put down. The links to appendices work well and serve to inform of archaic termonology as well as references (remember that while in the appendices you can touch the number of the entry and return back to the page it pulls from, in case the "back" button disappears). Better than the movie, and any vampire fiction I have read or seen.

6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted January 24, 2012

Dracula

Seems boring . Is it. Should i. How do you delete it.

6 out of 45 people found this review helpful.

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